Kalamazoo, Mich., was not kind to the NIU women’s basketball team Thursday when the Huskies struggled through a poor shooting night and lost 81-48.

NIU (5-9, 1-2 MAC) shot 38.5 percent for the game and managed to hit on only 10 of its 30 first half shots to fall behind 45-25 at the intermission.

Freshman Joi Scott led the Huskies in scoring with nine points on four of eight shooting.

On top of the rough shooting, NIU was plagued by turnovers, committing 26 for the game to the Broncos’ 17.

Monique Davis led the team in turnovers with six, while Kristan Knake had five and Lindsay Secrest finished with four.

“We didn’t take care of the ball,” NIU coach Carol Hammerle said. “Credit Western Michigan, but we played really soft. I am embarrassed by our performance. We didn’t show up tonight. It’s just that simple.”

Sophomore Casey Rost led the Broncos’ charge with 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting, with five rebounds and three steals.

Western Michigan (9-4,3-0 MAC) finished the game with a .466 field goal percentage, including 6-of-12 from the three-point line.

“[Western Michigan] was very focused,” Hammerle said. “They played with a lot of intensity and executed well. They were able to do whatever they wanted and showed great team work.”

With the loss, the Huskies fall into last place in the MAC West division, losing tiebreakers based on the team’s overall record. Western Michigan now is tied for first place with Ball State.